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Candidates circulate petitions for May 21 primary election

By:

Ted Lutz

Staff Writer

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Candidates for local political offices began to circulate nomination petitions Tuesday to have their names placed on the ballot for the May 21 primary election.
March 12 is the last day to circulate petitions and file them with the county Board of Elections.
Forms for the petitions are available at the Board of Elections offices in Smethport for McKean County and in Ridgway for Elk County.
Candidates will be seeking Republican or Democratic party nominations in the primary.
In the primary, Republicans cast ballot for Republicans and Democrats vote for Democrats. Write-ins for either party are accepted.
Voters registered as independents and minor political parties do not vote in the primary.
Several new faces are expected on the ballot for the primary election.
At least two of the nine members of the Kane School Board have said they will not seek re-election. They are Susan Grolemund and Krista Jamerson.
No one has yet announced their intention to seek these to-be-vacated seats.
Candidates for school board are permitted to seek both the Democratic and Republican nominations regardless of their party affiliation. However, they need to submit nominating petitions for both parties.
Candidates who fail to file nominating petitions by March 12 will not appear on the ballot in the primary. They could run and possibly win as write-in candidates, however.
The winners in the primary election will have their names placed on the ballot for the Nov. 5 general election.
Here is a partial summary of Kane area offices up for election this year:
• Hamilton Township (Ludlow) — Brian Bastow, a Republican, is seeking another six-year term as a supervisor.
A six-year term as auditor is up for election. Cecelia Port is the incumbent. A four-year term as auditor also is up for election. This post is vacant.
• Hamlin Township — Jim Trussell, a Republican, is seeking re-election to a six-year term. Three vacant seats for auditor also are up for election.
• Wetmore Township — Steve Dyne, a Republican, is seeking re-election to a six-year term.
A six-year term as auditor also is on the ballot. Don Payne, the Kane borough manager, currently holds this seat.
A vacant four-year seat as auditor also is on the ballot.
• Kane School Board — In addition to Grolemund and Jamerson, who are not seeking re-election, four-year seats up for election include those held by Tom Kerek, Scott Paul and Adam Risinger.
• Smethport School Board — The seat held by William Funk of Route 6, Hamlin Township, is up for election for a four-year term.
• Kane Borough Council — Seats held by Katie Johnson, Shana Snyder, Dave Walker, and Tom Kase are up for election for four-year terms.
The seat held by Linda Kerek is up for election for a two-year term
• Mt. Jewett Borough Council — Gene Ginkel, Brett Morgan, and Steve Hale hold seats that are up for election for four-year terms.
• Highland Township — The seat held by Supervisor Jim Wolfe is up for election for a six-year term.

McKean County
• Commissioners — Seats held by Republicans Al Pingie of Bradford and Carol Duffy of Smethport and Democrat Cliff Lane of Turtlepoint are up for election for four-year terms.
Brett Morgan of Mt. Jewett has announced that he will seek a Republican nomination for commissioner.
• Coroner — Incumbent Mike Cahill of Bradford holds the position that is up for election for a four-year term.
• District Attorney — Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer of Bradford is the Republican incumbent in an office up for election for a four-year term.
County Public Defender Phil Clabaugh of Kane has announced that he also is seeking the Republican nomination for district attorney.
• Treasurer — Acting Treasurer Sherri Swanson of Hamlin Township is seeking the Republican nomination for a two-year term.
Melissa Smith of Smethport has announced that she also will seek the Republican nomination for the post.
• Recorder of Deeds — Incumbent Anne Bosworth is seeking a seventh and final four-year term. She is a Republican.
• Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans Court — Incumbent Wendy Yaros of Bradford is seeking re-election to a four-year term. She is a Republican.